Luggage-carrier for automobiles



M. MEYER AND P. W GESSNER` LUGGAGE cARRiER F0@ AUTOMOMLES.

APPLlCATIOH FILED MAY 20 15313` Patented May 20, 19119.

c7' and /Nvfmrons Mas: Mey fazfZ 655672671' i ATTORNEY i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MAX MEYER AND PAUL W. GESSNER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

LueGAGE-CARRIER ron AUTOMOBILES.

App'nmio'n filed May 2o, 191s.

To all `whom #may conferir Be it known that we, MAX MEYER and PAUL 1V. Gassman, both citizens of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Luggage Carriers for Automobiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates more particularly to an adjustable luggage rack adapted io be detachably secured to the running board of an auto vehicle.

It is an object of this invention to provide an adjustable rack adapted to be secured to the running board of automobiles oi various sizes, and which may be folded when not in use into a small compact mass.

A further object of this invention is to provide an adjustable luggage rack which may be readily secured to and detached from the runnin board o'l an autoniobile, and one that wi l not mar or interfere with the fenders.

We accomplish these objects by-nieans of the device described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a, side View 0f an automobile with our impro-ved luggage rack attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail in elevation of one of the standards having a portion of the adjustable rack attached thereto.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through one of the securing standards taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, we have illustrated our lmproved rack as attached to the running or foot board 5 of an automobile of the touring car type. The foot board securing standards 6 are here shown as three in number, but may be of any desired number, dependin entirely upon the length of the footboar', and for brevity of description only one will be described. Standard 6 preferably consists of a channel bar 7 bent inwardly at its lower end and at right angles to the body portion to form the lower member 8 of a clamp. The upper member 9 of the clamp is formed by means of an angle iron, one leg 10 of the angle being secured to the inner face of the standard 7 by means of rivets 11, or other Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 20, 1919. sriai No. 235,615.

suitable securing means. The lower member 8 of the clamp is provided near its lend with a threaded aperture 12 through w'hich passes a set screw 13 designed to e'ga "e the under face of the running or foot boar 5 to secure the standard rigidly thereto, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawin s.

By forming the standards of ange iron we are enabled to secure with the lightest n'laterial the maximum strength and rigidity necessary in a. structure of this character. Pivotally attached as ut 15 to the inner face of the standards midway of their length is an adjustable rack 16 of the well known lazy-tong type. This rack is preferabl f formed of' Hat iron bars 17 which cross eac other at the center thereof, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, and are pivota'lly secured together by means of rivets 18,' the ends of the bars 17 being pivotally secured together by rivets 19. The end bars 20 of the rack 16 are approximately half the length of bars 17, and their free ends are pivoted together as at 21 so that when the rack is extended, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the end portions of the rack extend close t0 the front and rear fenders 22, 23, as clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawings.

In attaching our improved rack to the running board of an automobile, the rack is first extended to the length between the front and rear fenders, and the clamps formed on the lower end of the upright standards are then secured t0 the runnin board, the set screw 13 securely and rigid y maintaining them in a rigid vertical position. The space thus inelosed may be utilized for the transportation of luggage or other articles desired.

When it is desired to remove the rack, the clamps are disengaged from the running board and the rack is collapsed in a small compact mass ready for storage in the machine.

From the above it will be noted that by providing` rigid standards all undue strain on the extensible rack is eliminated, and by pivotally securing the rack to the standards all necessity of fender attachments to support the rack in position are avoided.

What we claim is:

1. In combination with a vehicle body provided with a running board, of an extensible rack, and a plurality of rack supporting standards each pivotally secured at a single point to Said rack intermediate its ends, the lower ende of said Standards beim1r provided With clamps adapted to secure said extensible rack to the running board of a vehicle.

2. In combination with the running board of a vehicle, of an extensible rack member, a plurality of sup-portin and rack strengthenin standards secure to Said rack member lnterrnediate its ends, and an attaching means formed on the lower ends of each of said standards, Said means adapted to engage the vehicle running board to secure said rack in rigid engagement therewith.

3. In combination with a vehicle lood;7 promeans formed on the lower end of each of 20 said supporting standards adapted to engage the vehicle running board to maintain said laz f tong construction in en extensible and rigld position.

In Witness that We claim the foregoing We have hereunto subscribed our names this 14th day of May, 1918.

MAX MEYER. PAUL W. GESSNER.

Copies o! this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. C. 

